Harrisburg – Senator Bob Mensch (R-24) and Representative Marcy Toepel (R-147) announced that the Schwenksville Borough Authority in Montgomery County will be receiving a PennVEST Loan of $1,051,037 to replace 2,725 feet of water main that have reached the end of their useful life.

The Schwenksville Borough Authority (Authority) provides public water and fire protection to all of Schwenksville Borough, Lower Frederick Township, and a portion of Perkiomen Township. The Authority supplies approximately 325,000 gpd of water from its own five wells and purchases approximately 100,000 gpd of water from Aqua Pennsylvania. The Authority provides water for approximately 1,800 connections and they have continued to make improvements to the water supply, treatment, transmission, and distribution system in order to continue to meet the present and future needs of its service area with high quality water that meets all requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The Authority applied for the PennVEST Loan in order to replace the water main on Main Street and Church Road in order to reliably serve customers with safe drinking water. The existing water supply distribution mains on Main Street and Church Road are more than 70 years old with several areas of disrepair. The existing mains have reached their end of useful life and are in need of replacement. Repairs and breaks will become more common if the main is not replaced, resulting in additional public expenditure, loss of service, and potential future non-compliance with regulatory agencies.

“We applaud the Schwenksville Borough Authority for taking the necessary steps towards rehabilitating their water main,” said Mensch. “It is imperative that residents have safe and reliable access to water and this project will help prevent any future loss of services or costly issues.”

“The loan will enable the authority to provide better service for customers who are tired of repeated breakages and failures due to age and materials. It will modernize and greatly improve the current distribution system for the benefits of Schwenksville Borough residents,” Toepel said.

“I am pleased that PennVEST has approved funding for this critical project for improvements to the Authority’s drinking water infrastructure,” Authority Chairman Markley said. “The state’s support to upgrade our drinking water infrastructure is important to the well-being and safety of the Authority’s customers and the redevelopment of the Borough,” Markley said. “The Authority Board would like to thank Senator Mensch and Representative Toepel for their support.”